Life After the End
by Kayelee O'Shea
Summary: Skynet already destroyed her world, now Ivy must fight for survival in a world that is unkind, and unforgiving.


I was 8 years old when my father dragged me into the cellar and locked the door. I thought I was being punished, as I had been on many occasions, but that was before I heard the explosions. I watched behind re-enforced safety glass and 3 separate pains of plexi glass as Skynet tore my world apart.

I watched, horrified, as the people I loved were reduced to dust and ash, their profiles gruesomely projected onto freestanding brick walls. As their skin burned off and eyes melted. I watched as the world I knew, and the people in it were incinerated in the extreme heat.

The nuclear fallout shelter was 50 meters below the earth's surface, but through a series of mirrors I could see the skies catch fire. I could see everything reduced to ash.

Everything.

Skynet destroyed the human race that day. Judgment day, as it became known. It wiped us out, the only threat to their existence. At least they thought they did. Skynet developed weaponry to hunt down the remainder of the human race. To hunt them down, and terminate them.

Hours passed and all I heard was silence.

I was alone.

Or so I thought.

* * *

I walked back and forth in the confines of the cellar. I paused every time I was in front of the iron door that held a glowing hologram.

"Open me." It said, flashing on and off in welcoming green letters.

"Don't be such a whimp." I whispered harshly to myself. My hand was poised over the handle to the door. I sighed and withdrew it pacing back away from the closet. I tried in vain to sike myself up.

I walked back to the closet and paused again.

"I'm only 15 years old!" I reasoned with my self walking away from the closet again.

I paused at the one window, looking up into the desolated landscape. I could probably come out now. After all, my supplies were seriously diminished. I didn't know how long my father intended me to stay here, but I was slowly overstaying my welcome.

"Just open the closet Ivy!!" I turned and walked resolutely forward, taking deep cleansing breaths.

I stopped and reached for the door knob. The letters hovered in the air, flashed once, then disappeared. I gripped the knob tightly and slowly turned it. I could hear the clicks of the door opening. Then it sprang open and knocked me to the floor.

I skittered backwards away from it, staying on my back. My head hit the door painfully and I braced myself against the frame.

I regarded the closet, readying myself for whatever might emerge.

A light flashed and a screen flickered across the opening. Several images played on the screen. Explosions, death, starvation, guns and evil things had me glaring at the screen angrily.

A final image paused and stayed on the screen . It was a man, maybe 20-25 years old. He had a kind face, with worry lines creasing his forehead. His severe and almost angry green eyes stared out from the image. He had dark brown hair that was cropped short and healing cuts on his face and neck.

He spoke in a short almost business like manner.

"Vy, oh sorry," his mouth smiled but his eyes didn't and he continued in a less formal manner. " Ivy, I gave you that nick name, or, at least I give you that nick name." He took a deep breath, seeming to gather his thoughts. "My name is John Conner. Vy it's really important that you listen to me. Skynet will be after you soon and you need to get moving. It should be safe for you up top now. The nuclear fall out should have passed."

He stopped and pulled out a map.

"You need to get here." He pointed at the center of a coordinate grid. " You should be about…." He shuffled the map and held up a map of my neighborhood behind the transparents. " Here. That should be about 300 to 400 miles. Listen Vy, I know it seems kind of impossible but you need to get here in about 5 days. You should start today. Skynet will have located your hiding place by about tomorrow."

How full of approximations this man was.

"It is imperative that you stay alive, Vy. Don't drink any of the water and don't eat any of the food you might find. Trust only what your father has provided. Travel light but don't underpack. Don't pack any clothes 'cause you don't need them. There should be a sturdy outfit for you in the closet. There's a map and a travel pack in there too.

"Travel on the motorcycle. Two people should be able to fit- Oh yeah!"

He smacked himself in the forehead and cursed under his breath.

"You need to take the robot that's in here. He's not the most advanced piece of machinery, but he'll be able to keep you safe. He'll help you when you need him.

"Be safe Vy."

His eyes went kind and his voice that had drifted into severity went soft.

"Vy, I love you. Be safe and don't do anything stupid."

The screan flickered black and more hologram words sprouted. "Take this." They said.

I slowly got to my feet and walked to the closet. A chip ejected from a port inside the closet with a "thunk". I took it in my hand, and closed a fist around it. I had no idea who this guy was, but I would take his stupid chip to him if he wanted it. I was a sucker for sentiment, and he had said he loved me. Whether that was true or not, it didn't matter.

Lights blinked on on the walkway as I stepped inside the closet. I walked down the walkway that extended into a short hallway with cupboards and doors along it. I met another set of words blinking "wear me", and "take me". I opened the drawer behind them and removed a long, brown leather coat. I liked this guys sense of style, as scared stiff of all this as I was. I also took out a set of worn in boots, a brown shall, a white tank top, brown mid thigh length shorts (which seemed unnecessarily short), and a pair of brown leather chaps. I put these on automatically, a sense of adventure building inside me. I was afraid yes, but I was looking forward to leaving this cell I was trapped in.

Underneath the clothes was a map, a compass, and a dangerous looking silver gun. These were resting on a brown weathered backpack. The backpack was filled with water and non perishable foods. Two extra bags were resting on the floor, these looked similar to old saddle bags from westerns.

I thought about it and realized these were probably for the motorcyle.

"Motorcycle?" I murmured in doubt. Nothing could have survived the Nuclear explosions. I highly doubted his wimpy motorcyle had.

I slung the back pack over one shoulder and continued down the short room, lights flickering on as I walked. A set of blinking green letters flashed, "push me" in front of a big red button.

I had no reason to distrust it, yet I hesitated over the button as if it said "don't push". The lights continued to beckon to me. I extended my hand and pushed down the button, and it glowed red in the artificial light. I heard a grinding and creaking noise, followed by the groan of bending metal.

Then a locker exploded open.

A man launched from the locker and pinned me to the ground.

He had a flat emotionless face, with glowing red eyes set in front of glowing red pupils. His black hair was buzzed at the sides and painstakingly combed into a fohawk. He wore blue jeans, a black leather jacket, combat boots and a black shirt. He seemed to have weapons everywhere. At his sides, in his pockets, in his boots, even on his back.

He stared at me intently, his pupils shifting and spinning, and with a voice flat of all emotion said. "Ivy Bradshaw, you have been targeted for termination."


End file.
